It is clear that the standings of teams one through four could change in a matter of a day, with the Ducks out of the picture at this point. There is no question that the Pacific Division is the toughest division in hockey, but I am surprised that the Dallas Stars are playing so well this far into the season. However, things could change with Kari Lehtonen injured.

The main surprise here is that the Sharks are not playing very consistent as of late, allowing other teams to move ahead of them in the division.

3. Martin Havlat Has Not Lived Up to His Expectations

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Through 19 games in his first season as a Shark, Martin Havlat has the grand total of one goal. Throw in 10 assists for a total of 11 points, and Doug Wilson might be questioning himself for making this trade.

Coach Todd McLellan has tried to mix things up, putting Havlat on the third line, but has finally settled on moving him up to the second line with Ryane Clowe and Logan Couture.

The Sharks gave up sniper Dany Heatley to get Havlat, and it will be disappointing if Havlat does not fill the big shadow left by Heatley.

2. Dan Boyle Is Really Struggling

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As I stated in a previous article, Dan Boyle is on a big slump, and he needs to get back on track. He has just one goal and nine assists in 22 games this season, and has made several bonehead plays on offense and defense, including eight giveaways.

Along with Brent Burns, Boyle was supposed to provide offense from the defensive position, something that he has done in the past few years as a Shark. This year has not worked out quite the same for him.

In an interview with David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News, Boyle stated, "The game's changed. Everybody's playing the same way -- the neutral zone is pretty much eliminated, which is where I get a lot of my offense. Everybody just fires long bombs, chipping it in. It's just a little bit more frustrating for me."

"The opportunities aren't there like they used to be," he went on to say. "Just working on it, just trying to be better."

That interview was conducted on November 27. Obviously, with his poor showing in Saturday's loss to the Panthers, Boyle has yet to find his groove on the ice.